Various devices relying on standard refrigerant recycling technologies have been available for many years, such as refrigeration and heat pump devices, having both cooling and heating capabilities. Within the limits of each associated design specification, heat pump devices enable a user to cool or heat a selected environment or with a refrigeration unit to cool a desired location. For these heating and cooling duties, in general, gases or liquids are compressed, expanded, heated, or cooled within an essentially closed system to produce a desired temperature result in the selected environment.
Traditional sub-coolers partially cool the refrigerant prior to the expansion device and subsequent evaporator. Such refrigerant cooling has been shown to increase the efficiency of the heat transfer within the evaporator. Various types of sub-coolers exist, but the most common form cools the refrigerant by drawing in cooler liquid to surround the warmer refrigerant. [0007]U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,213 to applicant herein discloses a heat pump efficiency enhancer for use with a heat pump to increase cooling and heating efficiency, between an outdoor condenser and an indoor evaporator. A refrigerant receiver or sub-cooler is provided within the high pressure liquid refrigerant portion of the system, including at least one high flow, low pressure release check valve having an internal control element with a refrigerant turbulence producing backside that serves as an incremental expansion device to cool, by incremental expansion, and heat, by turbulence, the high pressure liquid refrigerant.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,956 to applicant herein describes a refrigerant system efficiency amplifying apparatus for use with a heat exchange system having a compressor, condenser, evaporator, expansion device, and circulating refrigerant. The apparatus includes a liquid refrigerant containing vessel having a refrigerant entrance and a refrigerant exit with the vessel positioned in the heat exchange system between the condenser and the evaporator, and means associated with the vessel for creating a turbulent flow of liquefied refrigerant.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,398 to applicant herein teaches a refrigerant agitation apparatus having a turbulent flow generating apparatus for use with a refrigerant containing heat exchange system that has a refrigerant carrying line. The invention includes at least one housing fitted into the refrigerant carrying line and within each housing a refrigerant agitating mechanism comprising at least one bladed disk that induces refrigerant agitation as the refrigerant flows through the apparatus.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,401,470 and 6,401,471 to Wightman disclose an expansion device for a vapor compression system. The vapor compression system includes a line for flowing heat transfer fluid, a compressor connected with the line for increasing the pressure and temperature of the heat transfer fluid, a condenser connected with the line for liquefying the heat transfer fluid, and an expansion device connected with the line for expanding the heat transfer fluid. The expansion device includes a housing defining a first orifice, and at least one blade connected with the housing, wherein the blade is movable between a first position and a second position, wherein the first orifice is larger in the first position than in the second position. The vapor compression system also includes an evaporator connected with the line for transferring heat from ambient surroundings to the heat transfer fluid.
The foregoing patents reflect the current state of the art of which the present inventor is aware. Reference to, and discussion of, these patents is intended to aid in discharging Applicant's acknowledged duty of candor in disclosing information that may be relevant to the examination of claims to the present invention. However, it is respectfully submitted that none of the above-indicated patents disclose, teach, suggest, show, or otherwise render obvious, either singly or when considered in combination, the invention described and claimed herein.